Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1887-05-12
THE EUREKA CONSOLIDATED.

a SentNnSl heDOELeE Nf0es
Through the Reduction Works
Describes the Working Of the
Speiss, Matte and Slag-A Word
or Two About the Mime.
A SENTINEL reporter, in search of mate
rial for an interesting item. strolled to the
lower part of town yesterday, and chanc-
ing to meet Mr.. H. Donnelly, the man.
sger of the Eureka Con. Mining Com.
pany, obtained his permission to examine
their smelling, refining and speiss opera
tions. now working so satisfactorily. 1t
10 we'll known that the company have
lately been working over their Stag dump.
and that the operation Is proving highly
remunerative. The treatment of the speiss
by L. w. Davis. whose metallurgical
successes, attained through years of prac-
tioal experience, are fast making him
famous, is most successful, and the
results obtained by q method Of his own
are very satisfactory.
The purchase and company ores are
mixed up in 400 ton lots. and are conveyed
to the furnaces and smelted in connection
with the speiss, matte and Stag.
THE sPEIss,
After being melted in an ordinary smelt-
ing furnace, is passed into q crude
| Bessemer receiver and kept in q constant
state of ebullition by the application of
| air, which is forced by q compressor into
| the molten metal through q tuyere. The
| air combines with the arsenic, forms
| arsenious acid and increases the heat.
| Lead Ia added in q redhot state for the
purpose of collecting the gold and silver.
| The receiver, turning on trunnions, the
molten mass is turned into an ordinary
| Stag pot, and the lead, gold and silver
settles at the bottom. The speiss cooling
| first, the lead is tapped off into bullion
molds and sent to the refinery to be
desilverized. By this process over 80 per
cent of the gold and silver is extracted
from the speiss.
THE REFINERY
Is what ia known as the Parks, or "zinc
desilverizing process" the bullion requir-
ing but one melting to refine it into
market lead. Throughout this process OF
refining the crude bullion requires but one
| handling, and in "a hours from the time
| the operation commences the gold and
| silver are separated from the lead, and
| the market lead bars, and the gold and
| silver bars Of bullion are then made
ready for shipment.
THE PROCESS
Is as follows: The crude bullion Is
melted in calcining pans, the dross
| removed, and the lead softened by calcina-
| ton. 1t is then c%yphoned into q pan hav-
| ing q holding capacity Of % tons. Slabs
Of zinc are added to the molten mass,
which readily mix with the lead. A seps.
ration OF the precious metals from the lead
takes place in "a hours. The gold and
silver being extracted, the lead is
cyphoned into molds, out Of which 1t is
turned after cooling. This ia now
"market Lead" and is ready for
shipment as such. The precious metals.
after the separation, are combined In an
alloy Of gold, silver, lead and zinc, which
is taken so a sweating furnace and so per
cent OF the lead sweated out OF it. The
alloy is next passed into a plumbago re-
tort, set in q oubical furnace that works
on trunnions. for the purpose Of pouring,
il place of lsdling, in which o further
separation takes place. and from which
the gold and silver is drawn off in q
molten state. This is now bullion con
tanning from 1,400 to 1000 ounces OF sil-
YER and gold, which, after being refined in
the ordinary cupels, the precious metals
are drawn off into bars, and are stamped
ready for market. AS 40 tons of speiss
are treated daily, and the amount OF il in
the dump is estimated at SO, 900 tons, 1t
will require about three years to treat the
whole.
Now, as far as this bears relation to the
general interests of our camp. il is we'll
to add that the Eureka Con. mine is not
as dead as some people think. From
the southwesterly side of Ruby Hill q
tunnel was started some time ago by Mr..
Donnelly, to run under what is known as
the 'lava beds, and it Is we'll known to this
scribe that a very large amount OF low
grade ore can be extracted that will, in
connection with the speiss. keep, the fur
naces and the company in active opera.
ton for years, if even nothing else ID
found. Mr.. Donnelly conducted the
affairs of the company at Eureka during
the mines best dividend.paying days. He
is we'll known as a man of great experience
in both wet and dry mines. He is re-
served, careful, business-like and practi'
cal, and we nave confidence that under his
able and intelligent management the old
mine will loom up again, and take its
place among the dividend.paying proper
ties Of the Pacific Coast.